Fish-hook.



H. L. FEARING.

FISH HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.27. 1911.

Ratented Jan. M, 1913.

2 SHEET S-SHBET 1.

H. L. PEARING.

FISH HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.27, 1911.

1 5@,529 Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

characters indicate like or corresponding- HENRY L. FEARING, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

FISH-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 19 13.

Application filed February 27, 1911. Serial No. 611,116.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. FEARING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Hooks, of which thefollowing is a description.

My invention belongs to that general class of devices known as fishhooks, and relates particularly to a weedless hook provided with meansfor maintaining the same in proper position when in use, and has amongits objects the production of a simple, etlicient and satisfactory hookof the kind described. for use wherever found applicable.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangementand combination of parts herein shown and described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference parts, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of one form of hook. Fig. 2 is a sectional view takensubstantially on line 2, 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view takensubstantially on line 3, 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a top elevation of aform of hook shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion ofa modified form of hook. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantiallyon line 6, 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of amodified form of hook. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially online 8, 8 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation 'of a portion of aslightly modified form of hook.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to a of the drawings, 1 represents thehook provided with the usual barb and with a shank 2, the hook being ofany suitable or desired material, size and general form. The shank Qispreferably provided with a resilient top side of the loop or loopedauxiliary shank 3, which may be formed integral with the shank 2, asillustrated in the modified form shown in Fig. 5, or separate therefromand secured to the shank by a winding 6 of cord-or wire or theequivalent. The auxiliary shank 3 is preferably bowed or curved as at 3and formed with loops 4. and 5. The hook is rovided with a guard,consisting of arms 7 (see Fig. 4) preferably of resilient or flexiblematerial, which is passed through the loop 5 and extended up as at S, 8,embracing the shank 3, above which it is twisted as at 9, or otherwisesecured together by solder, or equivalent -means. The engagement withthe loop 5 gives a hinged or pivotal connection between the two, so thatthe guard may lie in the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1,or be thrown backward as indicated by the dotted lines to the right, theupper side of the looped shank preventing transverse movement of theguard. The line or leader is secured in the loop 4, or its equivalent,it being understood that any additional attachment, such as a spinner orthe like, may be provided. When passing through weeds the guards 7 guardthe hook, preventing the weeds from catching the same. When the fish isrunning with the hook and line, if passing through the weeds, the guards7 will be thrown, as indicated by the dotted lines to the right, andwhen in either position pressure upon the ends of the guards is not onlyresiliently opposed by the guards, but also by the resilient loop 3,inasmuch as the two sides of the loop are squeezed together. This isillustrated in the modified form shown in Fig. 5, which is hereafterdescribed, the two sides of the auxiliary shank being shown squeezedtogether, as indicated in the dotted lines. It may be mentioned that byhaving the loop resilient and the guards secured thereto instead of to anon-yielding part, the guards may be made somewhat stiffer. If desired,the ends of the guards may be turned back as at 10 so as to give afinish and prevent any comparatively sharp points.

Secured to one of the shank parts, as shown on the shank part 2, andextending therefrom in the plane of the hook on the opposte side of theshank, is a depending stem 12 provided with a weight or sinker 11 ofsuitable material. The stem is preferably yieldable. and resilient sothat the weight may be displaced longitudinally of the shank in eitherdirection when the hook is drawn or carried through the weeds. The stemmay be secured to the shank in any suitable way, a very convenient waybeing shown in the drawings, in which it is extended and secured by thewinding 6. The stem maybe provided with a resilient loop 13 and bracedby a bracing member 14, or its equivalent. The bracing 14 is alsosecured by the winding 6, and substantially closes over the top of theauxiliary shank 3, and thence extends through the loop 13, passingthrough the As shown, it is flexible loop twice and engaging the stemnear the top and bottom, thereby bracing the stern and more securelyfastening the same in place. The brace 14 also tends to preventtransverse movement of the stem relative to the shank of the hook. As isobvious, when the hook is drawn through the weeds, when fishing or whencarried by the fish, the stem and weight are easily deflected in running through weeds so that they do not catch the same, but at the sametime the hook is always normally maintained in proper position so as tokeep the bait right side 11 This is important masmuch as where theweight is on the shank, or in such position that it will not maintainthe hook substantially as shown in Fig. 1, the bait will turn wrong sideup, or partially so, and therefore not be as etficient. By having adepending weight, the weight of the bait, the hook and the guards arecounterluilanced. It may also be mentioned that in going through. weedsthe yielding stem and weight, and the yielding guards, oppose eachother, so that there is no tendency for the hook to be tipped, as wouldbe the case if the resilient part was only on one side. There istherefore less chance to lose the bait.

The form of book shown in Fig. is substantially similar except that theresilient loop 18 in the stem 17, which carries the weight 16 is engagedon one side by the brace 19, which is merely a modification of the braceshown in the previous figures. In this figure the resiliency of the loopbefore mentioned is illustrated by the dotted lines, and the shank 2 andauxiliary shank 3 are formed integral. By bowing the shank, as at 3 .sbefore mentioned, the resiliency of the shank is somewhat increased, andthe guards more efficiently guided when moved to'either extremeposition.

in the Figs. 7 and 8, a slightly modified construction of both auxiliaryshank and weight is shown. in this form the resilient loop or shank isformed as at 2st and provided with loops 25, 26 and 27. A guard similarto that shown in Fig. 1 is provided, only a portion of the same beingshown. In this case while the sinker or weight is yieldingly secured tothe shank, in this case to the auxiliary shank, it is not resilient.Referring to the Figs. 7 and 8, the stem 28 is in the form of a link,which passes through the loop and embraces the lower side of the shank.To the lower end of the stem or link 28 is preferably pivotally secureda weight 30, the same being provided with an eye or loop 31, which maybe swiveled to the weight 36 if desired. The operation of this form ofweight is substantially the same as the others, but owing to the factthat it embraces both sides of the lower part 24:, the stem cannot movetransversely, but only longitudinally of the shank. The weight,

however, as is obvious, has a slight transverse movement, it pivotallysecured to the stem, as shown, but being at the end of the stem, itmaintains the hook in proper position.

The construction shown with 9 is substantially similar to Figs. 1 and 5,except that the resilient stem 33, provided with the loop 3 1-, issupported or braced at the top by the brace 35. This is merely amodified term of brace shown in Fig. 1, which embraces bothsides of theloop, or shown in Fig. 5 it engages the side of the loop instead of thetop. It will thus be seen that my hook will always be maintained in theproper position in the water, thereby keeping the bait inits naturalposition, and that it is Weedless when drawn through the water in eitherdirection; also that the weed or sinker being yieldingly supported, doesnot impede the passage of the hook, but on the contrary, counterbalanccsthe book when the guards 7 are depressed by weeds.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that variousimmaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, hence ll do not wish to be understood ashunting myself to the exactform, construction or combination of partsherein shown and described or uses mentioned.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 A deviceof the kind described comprising a suitable hook provided with a loopedresilient auxiliary shank, the sides oi said loop extendingsubstantially in the plane of the bend of the hook, in combination witha weight, and means for yieldably securing said weight to the shank onthe side opposite the hook, but in the plane thereof.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a hook provided with alooped resilient auxiliary shank, the sides 0]? the loop extendingsubstantially in the plane of the bend of the hook, in combination withguards secured to said looped shank and a flexible stem extending fromsaid shank, in the plane of the loop and upon the opposite side of theshank to a weight secured at the free end of said flexible stem.

3. A device of thekind described comprising a suitable hook providedwith a looped resilient auxiliary shank, the sides of the loop extendingsubstantially in the plane of the bend of the hook, in combination. withresilient guards provided with a common loop thereto with the extremitypivotally attached to one side oi the looped shank and embracing theother member of theloop and adapted to loosely rest thereon 'whenextended in either direction, and a weight yieldably secured to saidshank and extending in a direction parallel with the ran of the shank,and means plane of the hook, but on the opposite side of the shank.

A. A device of the kind described comprising a suitable hook providedwith a looped resilient auxiliary shank, the sides of the loop extendingsubstantially in the plane of the bend of the hook, in combination withresilient guards provided with a common loop ivotally attached at theextremity of the rst mentioned loop to one side of the looped shank andembracing the other member of the loop and adapted to loosely rest therewhen extended in either direction, a weight and a flexible connectionbetween the Weight and the shank, said connection extending in adirection parallel with the plane of the hook, but on the opposite sidefor bracing said connection.

' 5. A device of the kind described comprising a hook provided with abarb and shank, said shank provided with an eye thereon, in combinationwith a pair of resilient diverging guards provided with a loop at theirmeeting ends extended through said eye, and a weight secured to saidshank on one side thereof.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a hook provided witha looped resilient shank, the sides of said loop extending substantiallyin the plane of the bend of the hook, a guard pivotally connected to thelower side of said looped resilient shank intermediate the ends thereof,said guard being provided with portions co6perating with the upper HENRYL. FEARING.

Witnesses:

1101 W. HILL,

CHARLES I. COBB.

side of the looped resilient shank to hold the same against lateral

